Bowl Game - Huskers Decline

knapplc said:
Nope.
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Alrighty then. When this team goes 5-7 next year and everyone asks wth happened, bailing out on sticking together in the face of adversity may be a great starting point. If Nebraska goes 7-5 or better next year, I'll gladly and happily be wrong with my stance that this was a missed opportunity on changing the culture within the locker room.

 
BoNeyard said:
Alrighty then. When this team goes 5-7 next year and everyone asks wth happened, bailing out on sticking together in the face of adversity may be a great starting point. If Nebraska goes 7-5 or better next year, I'll gladly and happily be wrong with my stance that this was a missed opportunity on changing the culture within the locker room.
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Next year's record will not be affected in any way by opting out of a bowl game.

 
knapplc said:
Next year's record will not be affected in any way by opting out of a bowl game.
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I'll disagree with this. Next year's record is affected by the last 3 years of culture building by Frost and staff. As with any new coach that comes into any program and is trying to turn things around and trying to change that culture, what you do day one as a new coach in trying to make that change is seen years down the road. Choosing to play in a bowl game, in these tough times, against all this adversity, is a potential culture changing mindset. 

Hey guys, times are tough, it's been a hellish 9 months, lots of ups and downs and things haven't gone our way on the field, do you guys want to fight together and stay together as a family and do our best to try and win one more game that we fought so hard together to get a season, or do you guys want to call it a day and go home?

I don't see how this collective decision within the locker room does not affect next year's results. If this was any other year, we would look at it as a program building opportunity to better prepare us for the upcoming season, with the extra practices and game. This year, maybe there isn't the extra practices and the game could be meaningless, but this year that isn't where the growth for the future is, the growth for the future lies in the decision to stick together as a family and unit in a time of such adversity.

 
BoNeyard said:
In August players, program, fans were all on the same page of wanting a football season to be played and we were villainized by the conference and national media for wanting to play football.

Now you got some fans and players wanting to play in a bowl game and some players not wanting to play in a bowl game. Those who are speaking out of wanting to play in a bowl game, or thinking the team should play in a bowl game are being met with criticism. 
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I hear ya man.  I'm fine with the decision, but on the flip side, of course id pumped and tune in to a bowl game if they did elect to play.

I'm simply calling out there's nothing wrong with fans wanting to have seen a bowl game and being somewhat upset that its not happening.  Totally fine.  What I take issue with (and no idea if you've made these posts) but there have been posts questioning the "manhood" and character of players on this team for opting out. 

They made the decision for a reason and I'm ok with that.  I'm not the one out there on the field and they made this decision for reasons that ultimately belong to only those in the locker room.  

This decision doesnt sway my outlook on next year.  What would sway my outlook is this team being divided heading into a meaningless game and it shows up on the field.  That would be a miserable way to end the year moreso than not having a game at all

 
BoNeyard said:
I'll disagree with this. Next year's record is affected by the last 3 years of culture building by Frost and staff. As with any new coach that comes into any program and is trying to turn things around and trying to change that culture, what you do day one as a new coach in trying to make that change is seen years down the road. Choosing to play in a bowl game, in these tough times, against all this adversity, is a potential culture changing mindset. 

Hey guys, times are tough, it's been a hellish 9 months, lots of ups and downs and things haven't gone our way on the field, do you guys want to fight together and stay together as a family and do our best to try and win one more game that we fought so hard together to get a season, or do you guys want to call it a day and go home?

I don't see how this collective decision within the locker room does not affect next year's results. If this was any other year, we would look at it as a program building opportunity to better prepare us for the upcoming season, with the extra practices and game. This year, maybe there isn't the extra practices and the game could be meaningless, but this year that isn't where the growth for the future is, the growth for the future lies in the decision to stick together as a family and unit in a time of such adversity.
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This is next year's schedule. Which of these games are we going to win because we play a bowl game in a little over a week? Which are we going to lose because we chose not to play a bowl game?

Illinois
Buffalo
Oklahoma
Michigan State
Ohio State
Northwestern
Purdue
Michigan
Iowa
SE Louisiana
Wisconsin
Minnesota
 

 
Savage Husker said:
Maybe Nebraska and this staff isn’t this way; but one of the best teachers I ever had growing up was band instructor. Let a faucet drip long enough and it fills a cup. If people think any team doesn’t get better with practice and experience, then sign me up for a new coaching staff. 
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3-4 days of bowl prep for a team we've never seen would amount to spinning our wheels in mud.

 
knapplc said:
This is next year's schedule. Which of these games are we going to win because we play a bowl game in a little over a week? Which are we going to lose because we chose not to play a bowl game?

Illinois
Buffalo
Oklahoma
Michigan State
Ohio State
Northwestern
Purdue
Michigan
Iowa
SE Louisiana
Wisconsin
Minnesota
 
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It isn't about the extra practices, it isn't about the extra game, it's the mindset in that this team was willing to stick together and be a family together in a time of adversity and having that hunger, drive and heart to go out there one more time and try to play one more game. It isn't even about the result of the game, it's purely an attitude and mindset of being together and finishing what is left out there. 

A Team that is truly united, and truly loves each other and truly is one big family, plays in that last football game. In fact, it'd be unanimous in the locker room and they'd take offense the question of them wanting to even play or not. That is a true family and tight locker room. Nebraska preaches this at the podium in post game conferences and weekly conferences, but when the opportunity presents itself to show actions over words, they once again stick with words speak louder then actions. 

It is what it is. To me, it's nothing more than having that desire and competitors mindset to go out there one more time, together as a team. That's the type of mindset I'd want anyway in a locker room.

So again, to choose to play in the bowl game is nothing more than a mindset, it has nothing to do with the extra game or the one or two practices. It's a mindset that I'd hope to see would change how it seems in every game when this team is met with any sort of adversity they don't just crumble and cant seem to get back on track. I'd hope the results from choosing to play could lead to them facing adversity in a game and overcoming it and not letting one mistake completely derail the entire game. 

 
BoNeyard said:
It isn't about the extra practices, it isn't about the extra game, it's the mindset in that this team was willing to stick together and be a family together in a time of adversity and having that hunger, drive and heart to go out there one more time and try to play one more game. It isn't even about the result of the game, it's purely an attitude and mindset of being together and finishing what is left out there. 

A Team that is truly united, and truly loves each other and truly is one big family, plays in that last football game. In fact, it'd be unanimous in the locker room and they'd take offense the question of them wanting to even play or not. That is a true family and tight locker room. Nebraska preaches this at the podium in post game conferences and weekly conferences, but when the opportunity presents itself to show actions over words, they once again stick with words speak louder then actions. 

It is what it is. To me, it's nothing more than having that desire and competitors mindset to go out there one more time, together as a team. That's the type of mindset I'd want anyway in a locker room.

So again, to choose to play in the bowl game is nothing more than a mindset, it has nothing to do with the extra game or the one or two practices. It's a mindset that I'd hope to see would change how it seems in every game when this team is met with any sort of adversity they don't just crumble and cant seem to get back on track. I'd hope the results from choosing to play could lead to them facing adversity in a game and overcoming it and not letting one mistake completely derail the entire game. 
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This team has basically stayed in isolation for eight months. Zero major outbreaks on the team, just a few guys here and there. They've held together, fought hard, mostly as underclassmen. 

And all of that is washed away because they opt out of what would amount to six or seven practices and a meaningless bowl game?

Think about what you're saying. 

 
The only reason so many of these non-playoff bowl games are being played is because ESPN owns them and they need programming to have on their networks. These “bowl games” are a glorified exhibition game at a far away location with a week to prepare. The positives of letting the team go home to spend time with their family outweigh the positives of one meaningless game. 

 
A lot of Big Ten teams are opting out:

Michigan State

Minnesota

Maryland

Nebraska

Penn State

Rutgers

I haven't heard anything about Michigan or a few others. There aren't enough teams to fill bowl games, so they'd take just about anyone at this point. 

 
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Wisconsin is playing in a bowl game are they not? And we ridiculed them for not wanting to play football, and mishandling their outbreaks, etc. Now here they are hungry for a bowl game. It seems if Wisconsin declined their bowl game the common understanding here would be that they were faced with a lot this season. The potential of a canceled season, they were decimated by the outbreaks and were in a lot of uncertainty on whether they were going to play in a week or not. Their season was a complete mess. So I understand them wanting to call it a season and go home and prepare for next year, they more than anyone else are probably ready for this season to be over.

Well that isn't the case in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has chosen to play in a bowl game.

 
BoNeyard said:
Wisconsin is playing in a bowl game are they not? And we ridiculed them for not wanting to play football, and mishandling their outbreaks, etc. Now here they are hungry for a bowl game. It seems if Wisconsin declined their bowl game the common understanding here would be that they were faced with a lot this season. The potential of a canceled season, they were decimated by the outbreaks and were in a lot of uncertainty on whether they were going to play in a week or not. Their season was a complete mess. So I understand them wanting to call it a season and go home and prepare for next year, they more than anyone else are probably ready for this season to be over.

Well that isn't the case in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has chosen to play in a bowl game.
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Wisconsin also had 3 games cancelled during the season, so the appetite is there to play more. IMO, that’s a different situation than Nebraska faced. 
 

I also find it interesting that you are giving more credit to Wisconsin for not preventing COVID outbreaks on their team  and causing 3 games to be canceled, just because they are willing to play in one more game, which is still going to be fewer games than NU will have played the entire season. 

 
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BoNeyard said:
Wisconsin is playing in a bowl game are they not? And we ridiculed them for not wanting to play football, and mishandling their outbreaks, etc. Now here they are hungry for a bowl game. It seems if Wisconsin declined their bowl game the common understanding here would be that they were faced with a lot this season. The potential of a canceled season, they were decimated by the outbreaks and were in a lot of uncertainty on whether they were going to play in a week or not. Their season was a complete mess. So I understand them wanting to call it a season and go home and prepare for next year, they more than anyone else are probably ready for this season to be over.

Well that isn't the case in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has chosen to play in a bowl game.
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How many more games do you think they'll win next year because they played in a bowl game?

 
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